Underground conduit for electric railways



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

V, s. A. WHIPPLE.

- UNDERGROUND GONDUIT FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

No. 380,469.- Patented Apr. 3, 1888.

J i Zy c3 Y Fig 2 i v I? W ITNE SSES,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

S. AROA WHIPPLE, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

UND ERGRQUND .CONDUIT FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 380,469, datedApril 3, 1888.

Application filed August 19, 1887. Serial No. 247,378. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Beitknown that I, S. ARCA WHIPPLE, acitizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan,

5 have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Underground Conduits for Electric Railways, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relatesto new and useful improvements in underground conduits for electric railways; and the invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination. of the parts, whereby provision is made to guard against the contingencies liable to affect the permanency of the conduit and its operative condition under the influences of climate or weather.

In the drawings which accompany this specification, Figure l is a vertical central cross-section showing the construction of the permanent way and the construction and arrangement of the fixed and traveling conductors. Fig. 2 is asimilar cross-section, on asmallerscale, sh'ow-- ing the relation of the permanent way to the track and road-bed. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal central vertical section through one of the sections of which the permanent way is composed, and also with the traveling conductor shown in section therein. Fig. 4 is a plan view of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail section through a portion of the traveling conductor, showing the construction thereof. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the insulatingchair as used to insulate the fixed conductors. In the drawings, A represents a railway cross-tie, near the ends of which are supported the longitudinal stringers B,upon which the rails G are secured and supported in the usual manner of building railway-tracks.

The conduit, which forms the subject of my invention, is located midway between the rails, and its obj ect is to receive and protect the electrical conductors, both stationary and traveling, and permit readily of conveying the currents of electricity to the motor of an electric car to which the traveling conductor is secured and carried along with it in the usual manner. To this end the conduit consists of the side sections, D, preferably made of cast-iron and of a length equal to the distance from sleeper to sleeper. They are provided on the exterior with strengthening-ribs a and with flanges b upon their ends, by means of which the sections are supported upon the sleepers, and secured thereto by means of bolts a, passing through said sleepers. Upon the interior the sections are provided with inwardly-proj ecting ribs d at suitable distances apart to strengthen the sections sufficiently to sustain the weight of loaded vehicles which may pass over the top, and these sections are cut away on the inner ends upon curved lines, as shown, to permit the traveling conductors to pass freely through the entire length of the conduit. These sections are secured in pairs upon the sleepers a certain distance apart, as shown, so as to leave in the center (on top) a slit or opening, E, the entire length of the conduit, and this slit. is further cut away on the top, between the ends of each section, to permit the removal of the traveling conductor from the conduit, when placed in the relative position as shown in Fig. 4, after the cover is removed. This covering F is also made in sections of the same length as the sections D, and is secured on the top thereof by means of suitable screws, e, so as to form a continuous slit, G, in the center the entire length of the conduit, and through which the connections between the traveling conductor and the car leave the conduit.

To the under side of the covering-sections F are secured dependent flanges I, which proj ect some distance downwardlyinto the interior of the conduit, for the purpose as hereinafter described. If desired, these dependent flanges may be made integral with or supported from the cover-secti0ns-for instance, by forming lugs f upon the interior ribs, d, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, from which these dependent flanges may be detachably suspended.

The stationary electrical conductor is formed by securing upon the cross-ties within the in terior of the-conduit longitudinal sleepers or blocks g, which are preferably of wood and creosoted or otherwise rendered durable, and upon this the insulating-chairs h are secured, which support the metallic rails J. These insulating-chairs h are preferably of glass of a form as shown in Fig. 6, so as to engage with the flanges of the rails J when placed alternately upon one side and the other side of said rails. The rails J are made in sections, se-l cured togetherin the usual manner of securing track-rails, and they are made of steel, iron, copper, or other conductive material, or of iron covered with copper on the upper surface to prevent their becoming oxidized. I preferably lay alongside of each rail a conducting-wire, K, to which each section of rail is electrically secured; but, if desired, other means of insuring continuity of the electrical current may be employed.

The traveling conductor is in the form of a four-wheeled metallic truck, of which i are the wheels, j are the metallic sides of the body, and k is a central insulated body secured between the sides of the truck, preferably of wood, rendered durable by creosoting or otherwise. On top of this insulating-body are formed longitudinal gutters Z, which extend the entire length thereof to collect the water and permit it to run off the car. These gutters are lined with insulating material impervious to water or moisture, to protect the body of the car from becoming wet and losing its insulating quality, and this insulating material is also preferably placed between the metallic sides and the insulating-body of the traveler. As shown in the drawings, the dependent flanges I, before described, preferably project into these gutters, so as to protect the rest of the car from any water or drip which may come through the top of the conduit.

In the center of the body and projecting upwardly therefrom is secured a metallic standard, L, which projects out through the top of the conduit, and is vertically slotted to receive the conducting-wires n, which branch off laterally at the bottom of that standard and laterally connect with the metallic sides of the traveler, respectively, so that one wire forms the supply-conductor and the other the return-conductor from the motor. I connect the metallic sides by lateral insulated bolts 0 p, the bolts 19 passing through the standard L to secure the same firmly in position.

M is a protector or facing secured to the top of the standard L, and this is preferably made of steel, so as to suffer the least wear from frictional contact with the edges of the slits, and

it is preferably made upon its ends inclined to readily remove any obstacle found in its way. In winter-time, when the track is liable to be covered with snow or ice, I may secure suitable track-clearers to this protector.

r are bolts passing through the upper ends of the protector and through the-standard L to secure the parts together. By this means it'will be seen that the conductor-wires n are well protected from any possible injury, as they are, from their point of entering the conductor, entirely concealed within the body of the traveler.

N is a gutter secured to the under side of the conduit. This is also preferably made in' sections of the same length as the conduit-sections, preferably of cast-iron, and provided with the flanges s, by means of which it is bolted to the under side ofthe conduit-sections, as shown. Suitable strengthening-ribs, t, are preferably formed upon the outside, and in such relative position with the cross-ties to permit of their being bolted thereto by suitable wood-screws, u. The parts being thus secured together, as described, the gutter-sections materially serve to hold the upper sections, D, in their proper relative positions and materially strengthen them.

The sections N of the gutter may overlap each other at the end, if desired; but preferably I abut the ends against each other below the cross-ties. I provide some or all of the sections with the waste-orifice v,which may be connected with the waste-pipe w, which carries off the water from the gutter.

To prevent the freezing up in wintertime, or the formation of ice within the conduit, I introduce steam-pipes O in the bottom of the drain or gutter, by means of which suflicient heat may be introduced to prevent such freezing; and to prevent any accumulation of con densation within said pipes they may be provided with suitable drips to discharge the-contents into the gutter, from whence it is carried 0E by the waste-pipes.

I do not intend to confine myself to the exact construction of the conduit as herein shown, as it may be advisable, for the sake of economy and cheapness, to use wood instead of iron in the construction, and to use such material obvious changes will have to be made in the construction.

What I claim as my invention is 1. The combination,with the permanent way of an underground conduit for electric rail ways, of two lines of insulated rails secured upon opposite sides of said conduit, a metallic conductor adapted to travel upon these rails, an insulating-body dividing said traveler electrically, gutters formed in the top of said body, and an insulating impervious covering, substantially as described.

2. The combination,with the permanent way of an underground conduit for electric railways, of two lines of insulated rails secured upon opposite sides of said conduit, a metallic conduct-or adapted to travel upon these rails, an insulating-body dividing said traveler electrically, gutters formed in the top of said body, an insulating impervious covering, and dependent fianges from the top of the permanent conduit, reaching within proximity of the body of the traveler, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the permanent way of an underground conduit for electric railways, of two lines of insulated rails secured upon opposite sides of said conduit, a metallic conductor adapted to travel upon these rails, an insulating-body dividing said traveler electrically, gutters formed in the top of said body, an insulating impervious covering, dependent flanges from the top of the permanent con duit, reaching within proximity of the body of the traveler, a standard secured to the body of the traveler and projecting between the dependent flanges to the outside of the conduit, and two conducting-wires concealed within said standard and electrically connected with the electrically-divided halves of the traveler, respectively, substantially as described.

4. In an underground conduit for electric railways, the combination,with the permanent way having two lines of insulated conductorrails secured within the conduit upon opposite sides thereof, of a traveling conductor consisting of the central insulating body, k, forming the platform orbody of the conductor, the metallic sides j, one upon each side of the central body, the metallic wheels 91, the central standard, L, secured directly to the centralinsulated body, k, and the insulated conducting-wires n, concealed within said standard and electrically connected with the respective metallic sides j of the traveler, substantially as described.

5. In an underground conduit for electric railways, the combination, with the permanent way having two lines of insulated conductor-rails secured within the conduit upon opposite sides thereof, of a traveling conductor consisting of metallic wheels i, metallic body j, insulating central body, It, the vertically-slotted central standard, L, secured directly to said central body, conducting-wires a, concealed within said standard and electricall y connected with the respective sides of the traveler, and the facing M, secured to the upper end of the said standard, substantially as described.

6. In an underground conduit for electric electrically connected to the opposite sides of 5 the traveler, respectively, substantially as described.

7. In an underground conduit for electric railways, the combination of the side sections,

D, bolted to the cross-ties, the Covering-sec tions F, the dependent flanges I, and the gutter-sections N, bolted to the sections D and the cross-ties, respectively, substantially as described.

8. In an underground conduit for electric railways, the combination of the side sections, D, having the flanges b, bolted to the cross-ties, the slit E,cut away between the ends, the covering sections F, provided with the dependent flanges I, and the gutter-sections N, provided with the flanges s if, all combined and arranged substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses this 13th day of August, 1887.

S. AROA WHIPPLE. 

